When I was child, the local radio station in our town was having a treasure hunt of sorts. They had hidden a $1000 prize and each week, they would give clues on the air … and if you followed the clues, it would lead you to the treasure. It was exciting to travel around in hope of discovering the treasure.
There is no doubt that many people love treasure hunts. There is a thrill in knowing there is something of great value near that just has not been discovered yet. It brings such a sense of anticipation, hope, and excitement of the joy that awaits should the treasure be found.
In Matthew 13, Jesus shared seven parables in explaining what the Kingdom of God is like. In two of the parables, He explains that the Kingdom is like finding a great treasure or pearl of a great price.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45
The point Jesus makes in these parables is that the Kingdom of Heaven is of immeasurable worth. It is a treasure beyond treasure, and any trade-off a person would have to make to have it would simply be joyful sacrifice. In other words, it would be worth giving up all you have in order to have it. But what is the Kingdom of Heaven? Simply put, it is the rule and reign of God in our lives.
Jesus truly is our Christmas Treasure. Immanuel, God with us! He chose to come to our world as a man and become the sacrifice for our sins in order for us to have God’s rule and reign in our lives. And with that reign comes love, hope, peace, and joy that we had never known. The apostle Paul talked about this joyful sacrifice and any trade-off Paul felt it required for himself.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… Philippians 3:7-9
Maybe you have been thinking of giving your life over to Jesus in order to have a relationship with God, but you are concerned about what you may have to give up in order to have Him in your life. Well, let me reassure you, you will never forfeit joy to have Christ! Real joy that lasts through sorrow can only be found in the treasure of knowing Christ. What could we treasure more than Jesus?
That’s what Christmas is … it a joyous celebration of the treasure God has provided to us in Christ because of His great love for us.
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10
As the men in Jesus’ parables went and sold all that they had in order to have the treasure, let us remember that if it takes giving up everything we have to come to know Jesus … it is worth it! To have the treasure of God’s rule and reign in our lives is the greatest treasure we could ever have. As the apostle Paul says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Robert
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” Luke 1:32-33
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:19